Walking a Different Path
by Sadhelm2
Summary: A simple choice sends Jeri's life in a completely different direction. When Impmon had first entered the human world in search of a tamer he hadn't expected the first human he found to be quite so unique. How strong could this weirdo possibly make him?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone! This is a story idea that Mellra had and wanted a bit of help with. It was a really good idea, so I thought why not? Mellra wrote most of it and I added a few things here and there. Feel free to let us know what you think!  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own digimon**

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Chapter 1: Twist of Fate

Jeri Katou happily hummed to herself as she skipped away from Matsuki's Bakery, her arms laden with a number of treats she had bought. Of course, stopping by the bakery was really just an excuse to hide the fact that she had just previously shopped at one of the local game stores to buy some of the latest Digimon cards.

Carefully holding the bag full of baked goods with her left hand, Jeri plunged her sock-puppet covered hand into her pocket and managed to pull out the deck of cards she had just bought. Having already torn off the wrappings earlier, she looked at the new cards and basked silently in that glorious new card smell as she idly flicked through them.

Control Spire, Numemon, Koromon, MetalGreymon, Speed Boost and a SkullSatamon flicked by along with many more. Eventually she had gotten through all of them and simply stared at the front image, her mind blank.

Were those good cards?

She honestly had no idea. Some of the pictures had been interesting to look at. The SkullSatamon had certainly been scary, but the cute little Koromon had more than made up for it.

Jeri frowned, while not initially a fan of the popular card game, watching her friend Takato Matsuki and his friends, Kenta Kitagawa, and Kazu Shoda always playing and talking about the game had eventually managed to peak her curiosity. After a few weeks of hiding behind corridors and near their little hideout in the park and hearing them talking about potential strategies and powerful monsters, she had succumbed to her curiosity and bought some of the cards herself.

She had even read the rulebook as she walked out of the store. An impressive feat considering how long it was!

Now, a couple of months later she had amassed quite an impressive collection of cards, although she had yet to even play a single game let alone assemble her deck. She had decided to keep her new hobby a secret, especially because she didn't think her friends would understand and she just couldn't muster the courage to talk to Takato or the others about it.

Not to mention what her father would think.

Thinking about her father made Jeri's skipping slow to a settled walk. Almost as if she felt he was watching her, she quickly shoved the cards back into her pocket and held the bag of bread tightly to her chest.

After her mom died, her father had become so distant with her lately. She barely ever saw him, and whenever she did he was always insisting she study hard and not get into trouble doing anything silly.

Then there was her new stepmom. Whilst Jeri didn't hate the woman, she was reluctant to let her into her life. The wounds of her heart from losing her mother were still too raw for her to feel ready to let anyone else in. There was also a deep fear that she'd replace or forget about her mother if she let her stepmom into her heart.

The thought was enough to make her shiver.

A sudden noise made her lift up her head; Jeri could hear some strange noises happening further up ahead. Peering through the gloom she could just about make out the sirens and policemen strutting about up the street.

It looked like there had been an accident up ahead. Unfortunately, that was the quickest way home and so she'd have to find another route. She didn't want to have to walk past a wreckage, not again...

"Ruff!" her sock puppet barked cheerfully. "Looks like you'll have to go around, Jeri! Let's use that alley over there!"

Her puppet pointed one of its stubs towards a dark nearby alley.

"It looks dark over there," Jeri said nervously.

Her eyes couldn't see far into the darkness. The alley curved away beyond her field of vision, although she was pretty sure it should still lead towards the right street.

"Don't worry, Jeri! I'll protect you, ruff!" her sock puppet said encouragingly.

Jeri looked towards the sirens, where even now she could hear the faint shouts of the police officers and the paramedics as they swarmed around the scene. Maybe she should go and walk on through, it wouldn't really matter.

She swallowed nervously, her throat suddenly becoming dry at the idea of being so close to the wreckage. Of the metal being twisted back, of a young girl crying out for her mother.

One step forwards, two steps...

She froze.

"Come on, Jeri! Let's go into the alley!" her puppet cried out happily. "It'll probably be much quicker anyway."

Jeri looked back and forth, before making her decision. She turned towards the dark alley and walked forwards, away from the sirens and the memories. Nervously stepping forward into the unknown, Jeri accidentally changed her fate forever.

The first thing Jeri noticed when she went down the alley was that there was a light fog starting to come up. At first the young girl paid it no mind. After all, she was near the Sumida River, and fog was fairly common during the fading twilight hours, even if it was fairly early. Jeri started to take note, however, when the fog started to pick up at an alarming speed. Soon, it got to the point where the girl could barely see her hand in front of her face.

"This is getting creepy," Jeri muttered in a scared tone, as she could see nothing in front nor behind her.

"Don't worry Jeri! I'll lead the way! Ruff!" she made the sock puppet say, eliciting a small smile from the girl.

Jeri visibly relaxed at that.

The dog puppet her mom had made for her always left the young girl feeling safe, as if her mother was right with her even now. Pointing the puppet in front of her like a Seeing Eye dog, Jeri cautiously moved forward into the blinding fog.

Suddenly, she heard a crash of a trashcan falling ahead of her, causing her to let out a startled squeak. Before Jeri could calm her heart that was beating like a drum, she heard a sound, almost as if something was moving through the fog.

"W-who's there?" she asked hesitantly, trying to peer through the dense fog. She held her puppet out in front of her like a shield, making growling noises like what a real dog would do and trying to sound braver than she felt.

Out of the thick fog ran a mewling cat that quickly streaked by her. Jeri watched the cat's progress as it darted through the fog and vanished from view before she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding.

"So 'dis is the human world, huh?" a male voice with a distinct Brooklyn accent sounded behind her.

Starting in fear, Jeri whipped around to find the source of the noise, only to be met with the sight of the fading fog.

"Yo toots! I'm down here!" the voice called out.

Shakily, Jeri looked down to see what at first appeared to be a waist high child, but the fading fog showed the figure in its entirety.

The being almost looked like a purple demon. It stood on two legs with three claws on its feet. Its tail was long but slight bent at the end. It wore red gloves which complemented the red scarf around its neck. Its belly had a yellow smiley face with sharp teeth on it. Now its actual face was white with two big green eyes that were slightly narrowed. It had two big horns on each side of its head that stood up first but in the middle are bent straight. Lastly it had a little naughty smirk on its white face.

While initially stunned by the otherworldly beings presence, Jeri couldn't help but think that she'd seen something like it before.

Hesitantly, Jeri reached into her pocket and groped at the Digimon cards she had bought. The being continued to look bemused at the girl's actions, lifting an eyebrow before it scanned the nearby surroundings as if bored.

Finding the card she wanted, Jeri held it out in front of her and looked at the image on the card then back at the being. She looked back and forth a few times just to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her but no, the being matched the image on the card.

On the Digimon card their read across the top the name "Impmon: Rookie Level: Virus Type" and under the description it read:

'A Child Digimon which has an appearance like a demon's child. It loves pranks, so it enjoys seeing the embarrassed appearances of its opponents. Also, it is said that when Impmon appears, electrical appliances temporarily go crazy, so an electronic image going out of order or ceasing to function might be because Impmon was pulling a prank. Although it is a Digimon that loves mischief and malice, it never toadies to the strong, but stands up to them with a strong attitude. However, the truth is that it has a lonely side.

Its Signature Move is summoning elementals of flame and ice (Summon). Its Special Move is attacking the opponent with flames of darkness (Night of Fire).'

"So babe, you gonna tell me if 'dis is the Human World or you gonna stand there catch'n flies wit' your mouth?" the now identified Impmon asked the shocked Jeri in a mocking tone.

Realizing her mouth was opened in shock, Jeri closed it with an audible 'click.'

The girl then pointed a shaking finger at the Digimon.

"Y-you're an Impmon?!" she asked in disbelief.

The Demon Digimon gave a mock bow.

"Heh, guess my reputation precedes me! You's want my autograph or s'mthin?" he snarked, proudly sticking out his chest.

Jeri could only gasp in surprise.

"Digimon are real?"

"Well, we's sure ain't no Santa Claus if 'dat's what ya mean," the Rookie smirked.

Slowly, Jeri's nerves started to settle as the last of the fog from the Digital Field faded.

While initially looking intimidating, now that Jeri got a good look at the Digimon she couldn't help but think about how cute he was! Standing just at her waist in height, the little Digimon really did look like a child, and the way his voice sounded also reminded her of how her little step-brother sometimes sounded.

Her worried face broke into a warm smile as she put away the Digimon card.

"What you's smiling at?" Impmon asked, looking at the girl oddly. "I know I'm great and all, but we've barely said anything to each another!"

"Ruff! Hello Impmon, her name's Jeri, Jari Katou!" her dog puppet barked.

Impmon looked momentarily stunned, eyeing the girl strangely before crossing his arms and regaining his cocky smirk.

"Well... goodie for you's, you's gots a name. Now sweet cheeks, I seem to recall asking a question, but I don't think I got's an answer. Now spill! Is 'dis th' Human World or not!"

Jeri nodded in confirmation, ignoring the little Rookies blatant disrespect.

"Er, yes, this is the Human World. Actually, you're now in Shinjuku, Japan to be more specific."

Impmon's grin seemed to widen at that.

"All right! I made it!" he cheered while giving a fist pump with his gloved hand. "Now alls I gotta do is find some chump to make me super strong an' then I'm golden!"

With that, Impmon turned and started to walk towards the alleyway's entrance.

"W-wait!" Jeri called out, not wanting to miss the chance to speak with a real live Digimon.

"What now?" Impmon asked in irritation, stopping in his tracks yet not turning to face the girl.

If this pathetic lookin' human thought she'd become his tamer, she was a few Digignomes short of a swarm! He had an image to keep up after all and his partner when he found him would have to match that image. This girl was, quite frankly, stranger than a Koromon hyped up on sugar and not to mention didn't exactly look the part of being his badass tamer.

Hell, little Miss Rainbow's and Unicornmon over there looked like she couldn't fight herself out of a wet paper bag. One that had a hole in it!

"Well," Jeri said shyly as she pulled out one of the sweet rolls she'd picked up from Matsuki's Bakery and held it out to the retreating Digimon. "I just got these sweets from the store but I got a few too many. Would you want to share them with me?" she ended on a hopeful note.

Impmon perked up at the mention of food, not to mention the sweet smells that were now invading his nostrils. Not one to pass up a free meal, Impmon turned to face the girl. Oh, what the heck. One meal wouldn't hurt his image!

Trying to control his excitement and hunger, Impmon crossed his arms and wiped away the drool on his mouth.

"Eh, why not? Not really in a hurry anyways," he said in what he was certain sounded like an indifferent tone.

With that, Impmon walked up to the girl and snatched the roll out of the girls hand before popping the whole thing into his mouth and chewing on it with a satisfied expression.

Jeri smiled at that and plopped down on the stoop of one of the nearby buildings so she was more on eye level with Impmon and took out one of the other rolls before eating at a more reserved pace. Impmon swallowed his roll with a grin on his face before holding out his hand expectantly.

"More," he said in a voice that left no room for argument.

Jeri giggled slightly and took out another roll before placing it into Impmon's waiting hand. The Digimon ate it with the same gusto as the first before holding his hand out once more. Jeri placed her last pastry into the waiting palm that quickly followed the same fate as the others. Giving a satisfied belch, Impmon patted his stomach and turned towards Jeri with a grin.

"Thanks for the chow toots! Let me know when ya got more grub, alright?" he said with a casual wave, before turning around and walking off.

What?! He was leaving already?!

Standing up in shock, Jeri stared at Impmon's retreating form as he walked off into the darkness of the alley. Suddenly struck by the possibility of never seeing him again, Jeri gathered courage that she didn't even know she had.

"Um, would you like to come with me?" she asked hesitantly.

Impmon stopped and blinked at the girl.

"Say what?" he asked dumbly, his brain trying to catch up with what was asked of him.

Jeri had a light blush on her face and looked at the ground.

"W-well, if you don't have a place to stay, you can come to my house for a while. I'll try not to bother you and I'll feed you whenever you want. So will you?" she ended hopefully.

"Eh…?" Impmon blinked rapidly as he tried to comprehend that someone wanted him to stay with them.

Sure, the little Digimon talked a tough game but in all honesty he wasn't used to people being nice to him. Back in the Digital World it was every Mon for themselves, so trust didn't come easily for the Demon Digimon. Plus, he knew his attitude wasn't one that most people enjoyed being around, so that made the imp suspicious of the girl's kind offer. But, taking one look into those big, hopeful brown eyes, the Virus Type felt his resolve wavering.

"S-sure, why not? S'not like I've gots an appointment or somethin'. But let's get one thing straight, girlie!" Impmon stated while pointing a finger in Jeri's direction, praying to the Sovereign that the darkening alleyway hide the blush adorning his pale cheeks. "This is a temporary arrangement! Soon as I find a tamer worthy of my awesomeness, I'm outta here, capish?"

"Sure thing!" Jeri cheered with a happy look on her face.

She then held out her hand for the Rookie to take.

"I hope I can be of help!" she finished with a cheerful laugh.

"Erm, s-sure," Impmon said, awkwardly taking the strange human girl's hand and wondering just what he'd gotten himself into as she nearly dragged him off to her family's inn.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

This was the sound coming from the backyard of two four year old twins by the names of Ai and Mako. They were currently arguing over who broke their newest teddy bear, while their parents had gone inside for the moment. Their shouts continued for a minute or two until suddenly a dense fog began to creep into their backyard.

It's encroachment was so slow and unexpected, the two arguing children didn't even realize they had been engulfed until it was too late. Momentarily forgetting to argue, the twins hugged one another as an unnatural chill permeated the air around them.

"What's going on?" the boy, Mako, asked his twin nervously. "Why can't I see?"

"I don't know!" the girl, Ai, responded somewhat scared as well. "I think it's just fog though. Let's go back inside."

The two shared a silent agreement, which is probably the only thing they did silently, and crept closer and closer to where they thought their house was. The fog was so thick they could barely see in front of themselves, let alone the back wall of their house.

"We're going the wrong way!" Mako said. "The door's that way!"

"No it isn't!" Ai responded. "It's over here!"

"Liar!"

"No you're the liar and mom knows it!"

A sudden growl sent a shiver down their spines. Instantly stopping their argument, the twins slowly turned to look towards the end of the garden where the sound had come from.

There was a shadow in the fog. A large being, very large in fact. It stood almost as tall as their house and reminded the two of the dinosaur's they'd seen in their picture books.

Pure red, with claws larger than either of them and sharp teeth to match, the creature stared down at the two children. A large splash of drool hit the ground in front of the petrified kids, as the creature's eyes seemed to glow red with malice.

Ai and Mako screamed as the monster roared and bared down on them. A large claw reached for the two terrified kids, ready to grab and crush them into bone meal.

Something whizzed over the twins, striking the monster in its claw. It let out another roar, this time in pain, as it stepped back and crushed the shed behind it with a single foot.

A new being now stood in front of the children, picking up a sword from out of the ground in front of it.

"I will not let you harm them!" it yelled, before leaping into the air.

Ai and Mako watched as the large creature tried to swat the warrior away, but was simply too slow. Leaping onto the monster's outstretched arm, the warrior ran up its arm towards the head.

The dinosaur leaned its head forwards, trying to bite the warrior in half, but he was too quick. Jumpin over the monster's lunge, it span in the air and with a mighty cry stabbed the monster in the head with its sword.

The monster didn't even have time to cry out in pain before it vanished into dust, leaving only the warrior now kneeling on the ground.

The twins watched as the warrior stood up, the fog now clearing enough that they could make out its features.

The being was tall, with the head of a lion and a body similar to a muscular human's with several key differences. The figure also had a large sword held in its hand, which it sheathed onto its back. It wore black pants and a type of tribal necklace.

The warrior opened his blue eyes and noticed the two small children looking up at him in awe.

The lion Digimon gave them a nod.

"Greetings, I am Leomon!" he said in his powerful voice.

Ai and Mako just stared open mouthed in silence at the Digimon for a full minute.

"Coooool!" they cried out in perfect unison, with stars in their eyes.

Truly, fate can be a strange thing.

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**A/N: Feel free to tell us what you all think of this new story! It would be nice to hear some feedback.  
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**There is sadly no update schedule for this fic. Teacher of All Things is taking up pretty much all of my writing time so I won't be able to dedicate much time to this. It will be updated sporadically, whenever Mellra or I get sudden bursts of inspiration.**

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's the second chapter of our story. Things start to kick off as Jeri and Impmon learn more about one another...**

**Disclaimer: Neither of us own digimon.**

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**Chapter 2: Complications**

Jeri peeked around the corner of her home, on the lookout for her parents and her younger brother. She tiptoed across the entrance to one room, before looking into the next then quickly ducking away as if she'd been spotted. She waited for a moment, but no alarm sounded.

She action-rolled across the open doorway, before standing up straight again to check the next corner.

"Ok, it's all clear," she whispered behind her, before sneaking off to check the other rooms. "Let's go, Impmon!"

Impmon walked normally behind her with his arms crossed. He watched as Jeri continued to tip-toe around her home, carefully checking behind each corner like she was somehow being stealthy and then giggling inanely.

'This broad's nuts,' he thought as she ran up the stairs with a spring in her step. 'Maybe it was a mistake to come here.'

Jeri's thoughts however were somewhat different.

'I know a Digimon! Digimon are real! I'm friends with a Digimon!' she squealed inside her head, unable to stop herself from grinning widely at this incredible discovery. 'Will we become partners like in the show?! Oh that would be amazing!'

She barely suppressed another squeal before darting into her room and gesturing towards Impmon to follow.

He quickly followed her upstairs and into a nearby room whereupon she shut the door behind them. The Rookie took a look around as Jeri stood in front of him and proudly spread her arms to the sides.

"Ok, this is my room," Jeri said like she was guiding a tour. "I guess this is where you'll be staying, that is if you want to."

Impmon walked forwards, admiring the decorations. It wasn't quite as pink as he had dreaded, which was a plus. In fact it was quite a bit barer than he had expected from someone like her. He didn't understand much about humans, or the art of decoration, but it wasn't by any means unbearable.

Oh well.

He immediately jumped onto the bed, spreading his arms out. It felt amazing! So incredibly soft that he could almost drown in between the sheets. This was unlike anything he'd ever experienced in the Digital World.

Impmon quickly hid his amazement of course. No need to let her know how impressed he was.

"Wow, did place ain't bad," he stated non-chalantly, leaning back onto the bed. "I could get used to it!"

Jeri's face lit up.

"So you'll stay?!" she squeaked.

"Hey! I never said that!" Impmon quickly retorted. "I was just, y'know, complementing the place. Bein' respectful an' all that."

At that his stomach rumbled loudly.

"Oh, are you still hungry?!" Jeri asked. "Wait here and I'll go get you some more food!"

Before he could say anything, Jeri had already left the room and shut the door behind her, racing downstairs to fetch some food for her guest.

'Are all humans like her?' Impmon wondered briefly. 'I hope not...'

It wasn't long before Jeri had returned with a plate loaded with the rest of the buns she had bought at the store. Impmon hadn't wasted any time popping them into his mouth to his heart's content, while Jeri watched silently in the corner.

Impmon chewed the last bun slowly as Jeri continued to stare. It was nice of the girl to feed him and all, but he really needed to find a tamer. A human who would be tough enough to help him grow stronger. No matter which way he looked at it, this girl just didn't have any sort of strength to her what so ever. He would never become powerful if he stuck with her.

'Not to mention that creepy puppet thing,' he thought to himself, eyeing the hand-puppet on her arm like it would suddenly sit up and bite him. 'Looks a bit too much like a Cerberusmon to me...'

"So, Mr. Impmon," Jeri began, suddenly feeling shy. "Will you be staying here then?"

"I might... hang around, y'know," Impmon replied, rubbing his now full stomach. "Depends on what's in it for me."

"Er, well I can get you food, and a place to sleep!" Jeri said brightly. "I mean, if that's what you want anyway..."

Impmon grinned and stuck out his hand.

"Ya got yerself a deal!" he said, quickly shaking her non-gloved hand. "You provide me food and a roof above my head, and I might stay a while! Perfectly fair!"

She might not be tamer material, but by the Sovereign did she have some good grub! Maybe staying in her good graces would be a smart move, for the moment at least.

"Umm, ok..." Jeri agreed hesitantly.

At least until the sound of the front door opening reached her ears as her step-mom returned home with her little brother. Suddenly she could hear her younger step-brother running towards the door to her room. Immediately she panicked.

"Quick, hide!" she hissed to Impmon as she ran to her bedroom door.

"Why, what'sa matter?"

"If my parents see you, you might have to leave!"

Thoughts of her father, of his stern expression looking down on her as she handed in her latest teacher's report. Of how he would look down at her, eyes cold, sternly telling her to quite goofing off and focus on her studies. Her mother…she shook the image out of her head.

"Hide in the closet!" she pleaded with Impmon, blocking the door so her brother couldn't get in.

"Hey, Jeri! Come on let me in!" her brother yelled, knocking on the door hard. "I want to show you what I got at the toy store!"

"Just a second!" Jeri called back, before swiveling round. "Impmon-"

The words died on her lips. The little Digimon was gone and the window was suddenly open, her curtains billowing slightly in the breeze. The closet door was open, with no sign of Impmon anywhere. She said nothing and only stared, even as her little brother entered the room with her, a new toy in his hands.

"Hey, hey! Jeri look, isn't it cool!?" her brother blinked, looking up at his sister. "Jeri? What's wrong?"

She was looking blankly out the window; a look she usually only wore after having talked with dad. Before he could say anything else Jeri closed her eyes, turned towards him and smiled widely.

"Ruff!" her dog puppet said, looking at the toy in his hand. "What yah got there, ruff?"

He smiled back at his sister, his worries eased. Of course she was fine! Big sister was always fine; she was always happy!

But he never noticed that as he enthusiastically showed off his new toy; how her gaze would keep going back to that open window and how her puppet would bark just that little bit louder in the ensuing silence.

Of course he never noticed this, he never did.

Impmon did not return during the night. Jeri knew as she spent most of it staying up and waiting for him to come jumping back in. She even kept her window open so he wouldn't get the wrong idea, but all she got was cold.

As a result of this, school the very next day was even more of a chore than usual. The only interesting moments came during the brief moments of rest between classes where she could observe Takato and his two friends and overhear their discussions.

She was well aware that the three of them were avid fans of the Digimon card game and that they would probably go crazy at the sight of a real Digimon. Jeri wanted to know where Impmon may have gone and despite them having never actually having met a real Digimon, they might know some things that could be useful in locating him.

Jeri hadn't been able to muster the courage to talk to all three of them. What if they thought it was weird that a girl was interested in their game? What if they made fun of her for it? It would be safer not to risk asking them when all three of them were there.

She stayed in the park, waiting for the three of them to leave their little hideout and hoping she could catch one of them alone. Jeri clenched her hands and tried to gather her courage. If the three never split apart would she just have to wait until tomorrow? Until she could catch one of them alone? Maybe she should just go back home now.

What if he didn't want to come back?

It wasn't like the little Digimon had ever seemed that happy to see her anyway. Maybe he'd just moved on to better things...

She began to turn away and head back home. It had been stupid of her to even think that Impmon had cared even a little bit. If he had he would have returned straight away.

'Just like m-' Jeri cut that thought off before it could fully form. It was silly, it made no sense.

But what if Impmon was hurt?

The thought made itself known in her head and stuck there like a wad of gum. No matter how much she tried to dislodge it, it would stay there as sticky and noticeable as ever.

Would she be able to take it if he was hurt and she hadn't even tried to find him?

Before she knew it her feet had taken her back to the playground, where Takato was standing underneath his little hideout, presumably tucking away his Digimon cards for the night.

"Takato!"

He started and almost slipped. With a bit of scrabbling he managed to retain his balance and turned his soft, red eyes towards her.

"Oh, hey Jeri!" he said rather loudly. "What are you doing here?"

"Umm, I was just wondering," Jeri began, thoughts of Impmon running through her mind. "You and your friends like that Digimon game right?"

He immediately blushed.

"Er, y-yeah!" he squeaked, tugging slightly on the collar of his blue shirt. "We play it... sometimes."

Jeri nodded and reached into her pocket to pull out a certain card.

"Well I was wondering if you could tell me anything about this Digimon?"

Takato blinked, but took the card from her and had a good look at it.

"Well I can't tell you much more about Impmon than what's on the card," he admitted, confused. "I mean he never appeared in the show-"

"You've seen the show?"

He blushed again.

"Er, well a couple of episodes!" he laughed, scratching the back of his head nervously. "W-when I was younger, I mean! But I really ought to get home. My mom and dad are expecting me back to help do some baking."

"Well can you please tell me everything you do know?" Jeri pleaded, looking at him with watery brown eyes. "I really need to know."

Takato's will crumbled like wet sand.

"Er, w-w-well I do know that Impmon are supposed to like pranks and are supposedly real attention seekers," he stammered. "But that's all I know, really!"

In an instant, the tears in Jeri's eyes vanished as her face lit up, an idea occurring to her.

"Thanks Takato!" she said, quickly giving him a hug and then running out of the playground before he could compose himself. "You were a great help!"

Takato watched, stunned as Jeri ran out of sight in record time. Why she had wanted to know about that particular Digimon he didn't know? Could she actually be getting interested in playing the card game?

He doubted it was true, but he couldn't stop the happiness the thought brought to him as he began his walk home, a spring in his step.

Impmon crept through the bushes in the park utterly bored out of his mind. He had spent most of the day roaming the city looking for Digimon to fight, but they just didn't seem to be biting today.

He was well aware that he wasn't the only Digimon to have found a way into the human world. Portals were opening up all over the place only to vanish after a second or two as if they had never been there at all.

There were stories of course. Stories about Digimon who'd made it to the other world and found a tamer to make them strong. About humans who could increase a Digimon's strength at an incredible rate, rendering all the fighting they'd been doing amongst themselves pointless. About how these Digimon, now virtual gods had returned to the digital world and made it theirs.

There was rarely anything substantial to these rumors, spread by the rare friendly Digimon who didn't immediately try to delete Impmon and absorb his data for the minute increase in strength. It seemed to be mostly based on legends and hearsay, but he'd set off to find one regardless. It wasn't like there was any other hope for him back in the lifeless digital world.

It had been pure luck he'd managed to find a gateway. Had he been standing a few feet away he'd have missed it, but fate had been with him that day and he had finally made it.

Now all he needed to do was find some Digimon to fight and a tamer to help him grow stronger. That Jeri girl was nice and all, but she wasn't exactly the type to get him to grow stronger now was she?

He certainly wouldn't mind paying her a visit every now and again. Those snacks had tasted really good, and it would be nice not to have to sleep outside every night.

The urge for strength filled Impmon like a molten sun. Years upon years of being pushed around for being 'puny' and 'weak' compared to the other Digimon, barely avoiding deletion each time, had... damaged his pride somewhat.

But they'd see. He'd show them how he'd grown...

The sudden appearance of a large white mist alerted him. His senses suddenly heightened, his muscles tightened, as every instinct within him screamed that there was another Digimon that way.

Smirking, Impmon jumped out of the bushes and into the trees above. He shot forwards into the mist, ready to tackle the new enemy, ready to take that crucial first step towards becoming powerful.

The Digimon groaned and shook its head, trying to gain its bearings. Impmon knew from personal experience how disorientating it was first arriving. He probably had a good minute or so before it would notice him.

Impmon squinted through the gloom, trying to make out the shape in the mist. It looked like a Bearmon, a Rookie just like him. Impmon grinned widely. Unfortunately for this Digimon, he wouldn't be finding a partner anytime soon.

He snapped his fingers, small balls of fire appearing at the end of each finger. It wouldn't hurt to cut down on the competition now would it? There were only so many worthy tamers in the city...

"Badda Boom!" he cried, unleashing the fire attack straight into the back of the unsuspecting rookie.

Bearmon howled in pain at the feel of the flames against its fur. It turned towards Impmon, its blue eyes slitted and ready to fight. Impmon stuck his tongue out at the Digimon from where he sat in the tree.

The Bearmon charged and smashed the trunk with its claws. There was a loud creak and Impmon scrabbled for purchase as the tree crashed down onto the ground, a large hole in its trunk. Impmon deftly landed on his feet and turned to face the enraged Rookie, five more balls of fire now in his hand.

"Ok, yer not messing around, I respect dat. Badda Boom!" he yelled again at the charging monster.

His balls of fire were knocked away by his opponent's glowing fist, which struck Impmon straight in the stomach and knocked him backwards into the trunk of a nearby tree.

He ignored the horrible pain in his stomach and forced himself to stand up back on his own two feet. Impmon's vision swam in front of him as he almost stumbled over. He managed to stay on his feet just long enough for Bearmon to strike him again, sending him crashing back into the tree trunk right behind him.

Impmon screamed as Bearmon hit him again and again and again. Each blow knocking him back further and further into the bark. The pain seemed to never end as each blow continued to strike him and his resistance faded after each attack.

Bearmon stood up straight, staring directly into Impmon's fading eyes. Blue met green as the victorious Rookie prepared to finish things.

"Badda Boom!" Impmon yelled, firing a single, last desperate fireball straight into Bearmon's eye.

The rookie roared, stepping back and clutching its eye in pain.

Impmon just about managed a smirk, before collapsing forwards onto his hands and knees. He tried to force himself forward to move, but his limbs just wouldn't respond. He could barely feel them through the intense pain in his stomach as Bearmon slowly recovered from his attack.

"No, no," he muttered desperately. "Get up, get up an' finish him!"

He begged his body desperately, but it was in vain as Bearmon's one good eye focused on Impmon angrily.

'It can't end here! Not like this!' Impmon silently pleaded. 'I haven't even found a partner! I haven't Digivolved yet!'

His mind went blank as panic began to set in. Bearmon stood over him, his single eye fixed on Impmon and practically glowing with rage. He drew his arm back for the blow, until a sudden sound stopped him.

"Honestly, this is just pathetic," a cold voice said.

Bearmon turned and Impmon strained to look up to see a new figure appear in the mist. It was a girl wearing a pale yellow trench coat with red hair tied up into spikes at the back.

She stopped and took off her dark glasses, surveying the two of them with a calculated gaze. She took out a small device and pointed it at the two of them.

"A Bearmon," she said as some sort of picture appeared out of the device. "Rookie, nothing special. And an Impmon, also a rookie."

She sighed, sounding bored.

"I was hoping it would be a little better than this, but I've never seen two rookies appear at once before," she stated as Bearmon slowly began to approach her. "I hope you fight better than what you've displayed so far, otherwise this will be too easy."

Bearmon growled at her. The fight along with the pain of emerging from the digital world had clearly knocked a few of his screws loose, that or he hadn't heard. Even Impmon, injured as he was, could tell what this girl was.

The pose, the gear and the utter confidence she displayed facing down a Digimon could only mean one thing.

She was a tamer.

Bearmon took another step towards her, baring his teeth. He was about to charge at her. The girl surveyed him coldly, sizing him up for a moment before speaking a single word.

"Renamon."

In a flash of shadow a large figure stood behind the girl, startling Bearmon. It looked like a large fox, if a fox was yellow and could stand on its hind legs.

"Yes, Rika?" it asked in a female voice.

"Walk all over him."

Renamon's eyes flashed with excitement and she leapt over her tamer towards Bearmon. The poor rookie barely had time to react before a powerful kick sent him hurtling down the concrete path and into some bushes nearby.

"Oh, was that too hard?" Renamon asked mockingly, watching as Bearmon unsteadily got back onto his feet.

Bearmon yelled, running forwards suicidally, his fists glowing as he swung at the much larger Digimon. Only for Renamon to easily dodge every single blow. She swerved and danced and spun elegantly out of the way of each of Bearmon's attacks. She was faster than anything Impmon could have imagined.

This only enraged Bearmon further, his blows became less focused and more numerous. He swung punch after punch, only for Renamon to simply catch one in her hand, startling him.

With her other hand she slammed onto his head and flipped over him, sending Bearmon crashing onto the hard concrete floor.

She landed gracefully and merely smirked at Bearmon; watching as he struggled back onto his feet, even angrier than before.

"Renamon."

The harsh tone made the fox Digimon's ears prick and she turned her head to look at her tamer.

"Stop toying with him," the girl ordered. "Finish this now."

"As you wish, Rika," Renamon replied, turning towards Bearmon, steel now in her gaze.

Bearmon charged again his fist glowing, only for Renamon to catch it casually with her own hand. Like lightning her knee slammed into Bearmon's stomach, forcing spit out of his mouth. Her other hand went out, slamming into the Digimon's neck hard enough to make him bounce off the concrete path.

Not finished yet, Renamon leapt into the air and crossed her hands over one another.

"Diamond Storm!"

She uncrossed her arms, sending thousands of glowing little fragments straight into the unmoving Bearmon. He stood no chance as he was instantly reduced to data and Renamon stood triumphant.

Until his data began to flow into Renamon. Her fur ruffled from the breeze as she absorbed Bearmon's data, until there was nothing left and leaving Impmon on his knees in awe.

Rika offered no words of praise, she didn't even smile.

"Now the other one."

"W-wait!" Impmon choked out, putting his pride aside. "Please listen! Y-you're a tamer right? That's why I came here to this world! Please make me stronger!"

Renamon visibly bristled as the girl, Rika, observed him silently for a moment. For a moment Impmon dared to hope as a slight smiled appeared on her face.

"You must be joking," she responded. "Why would I want a weak loser like you, when I have Renamon?"

Renamon herself stood proudly by her tamer, an ice cold rage alight in her eyes.

"B-but please!" Impmon begged, barely able to move. "I want to become stronger!"

"You don't deserve it, a puny Digimon like you can never become strong," Rika replied. "Your entire existence is nothing more than a stepping stone for me and Renamon. That's just the way things are. Now, Renamon."

"Yes, Rika?"

"Make sure he dies on his knees like the dog he is."

"Of course."

Renamon leapt into the air as Impmon put everything he had into getting away, into just standing up. He refused to die on his knees, begging. His pride wouldn't allow it!

Renamon crossed her arms together, the struggling Impmon in her sights.

"Diamond-"

"IMPMON!"

Renamon's eyes widened as another girl ran into the path of her attack. Cancelling it, she landed back on the ground and waited for her tamer to give her further instructions.

Rika herself watched in surprise as a strange girl ran in front of Impmon, spreading her arms wide to defend him.

"Jeri?" Impmon asked, shocked at her presence here. "H-how did you?"

"Well Takato told me that Impmon love to prank people and have a need for attention," Jeri explained. "So I figured you'd come to the park since loads of people hang out there all the time! Then I saw this fog and then I remembered that's how I met you and-"

"Hello!" Rika interrupted. "Look girlie, you might not have noticed but we're a bit busy right now. Go home and play with your dolls."

"No!" Jeri answered. "I don't know what's going on, but it looks as if you hurt Impmon!"

"Not yet," Rika replied. "And of course we're going to hurt him. That's what Digimon do. They fight and kill each other. The winner absorbs the loser's data and becomes stronger for it. Your little pet just tried to do that to another Digimon but was unable to follow through on it."

"That's- that's horrible!" Jeri cried out, before looking at Impmon. "You don't really do that, do you?!"

Impmon refused to say anything, looking away at her horrified stare.

"Well clearly you're not a tamer then," Rika scoffed. "Now stand aside girlie and let us finish this."

"I-I won't let you hurt him!" Jeri declared, making sure she was placed between Rika's Digimon and Impmon.

"Of course," Rika sighed with an eye-roll. "I don't even see why you care. He's not your partner, not to mention he's not even really alive to begin with. Why would you risk your own life to save him?"

"Why shouldn't I care?!" Jeri countered, tears in her eyes. "And of course he's alive! Just look at him!"

"You're such a novice, honestly," Rika said. "Digimon aren't alive like you and me. They're just data, a bunch of ones and zeroes; nothing more, nothing less."

"B-but how could you say that about your own partner?"

"Renamon understands that I'm using her just as much as she's using me," Rika explained.

"That's horrible! You mean you really don't care at all about her?!" Jeri cried out. "That's monstrous!"

"Time to grow up girlie," Rika responded, before turning away. "Come on Renamon. If she wants to go things her way then let her. It's not our problem. That loser's data wasn't worth anything anyway."

"Of course, Rika," Renamon responded, before fading away into the shadows.

Jeri waited a few seconds to make sure they were gone.

"That was close, huh?" she asked, trying to make light of the situation. "How are you feeling, Impmon?"

She asked, trying to help the Rookie to his feet. He slapped her hands away.

"Don't touch me!" he yelled, making Jeri recoil. "I'm not weak! I can get up on my own!"

He pushed as hard as he could against the ground, against the pain; barely managing to get himself back onto his feet and swaying dangerously. Jeri moved forwards to steady him, but he slapped her away again.

"I said don't touch me!" he cried angrily, looking into the fog bitterly. "Damn it! Why did I have to get stuck with you?!"

"W-what?" Jeri's voice was small.

"You can't do anything right! I could have been partnered to someone like her! That could have been me over there! Instead I land right next to you!" Impmon screamed, before coughing.

Jeri stood there; hurt overwhelming any anger she might have had.

"B-but I..."

"You what? Thought we could be friends?!" Impmon asked, before chuckling like it was the funniest thing in the world. "We're not friends! Not even partners! That Rika chick was right; I need a strong partner, not some weak girl like you who cries at the first sign of trouble!"

Jeri just stood there, tears pouring down her face as Impmon stalked off. She was unable to say anything, lest she choke on her sobs.

"Don't try and follow me! I never want to see you again!"

And with that Impmon wandered off into the nearby bushes, leaving Jeri alone with her tears in the now clearing field of fog.

* * *

**A/N: Feel free to tell us what you think of everything so far. Tell us what works and what doesn't, what you like and don't like, or even what you want to see or don't want to see.**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed or favourited so far!**

**Hope you all enjoyed!**


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